Ross Fire in North Texas Reaches 100% Containment After 90,000-Acre Run
The Ross Fire near Palo Pinto, Texas burned about 90,000 acres and destroyed at least 167 structures before crews fully contained it on Sept. 16.
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In 2025, fire departments serving Josephine responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
185 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | — | |
| 2022 | 56 | +107.4% | |
| 2023 | 34 | -39.3% | |
| 2024 | 41 | +20.6% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -34.1% |
For the 5 building fires Josephine departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 66 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 21 | 31.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 19 | 28.8% | |
| 3 | Other | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Undetermined | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 9.1% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Josephine mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 39.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 10 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Fireworks | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 13.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Josephine sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,257 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 25.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 500 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 450 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 440 | 46.6 mi |
Top 7 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of Josephine. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Josephine.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.